Compare towns
Bath vs Jay vs Brunswick vs Ellsworth
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Maine.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bath has the most people working from home (19.3%).
Jay has the most affordable homes ($169k median).
Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).
Ellsworth has the highest household income ($77k).
What matters to you?
Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
| Measure | Bath | Jay | Brunswick | Ellsworth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,815 |
4,657Lowest |
17,652Highest |
8,657 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% ME: +2.6% |
-4.8%Lowest ME: +2.6% |
+12.2%Highest ME: +2.6% |
+8.5% ME: +2.6% |
| Median age | 45.4±3Highest about the ME average |
39.5±5.1 12% below ME |
37.9±2.2Lowest 15% below ME |
43±2.4 4% below ME |
| Bath and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±3.7Lowest ME: 18.1% |
17.5%±5.4 ME: 18.1% |
16.1%±2.5 ME: 18.1% |
18.4%±3.5Highest ME: 18.1% |
| Ellsworth and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±4.1Highest ME: 22.4% |
19.3%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4% |
23%±2.4 ME: 22.4% |
22.1%±3.3 ME: 22.4% |
| Bath and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.5% ME: 36.2% |
29.7%Lowest ME: 36.2% |
51.3%Highest ME: 36.2% |
39.3% ME: 36.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±2 ME: 5.8% |
4.5%±3.2Lowest ME: 5.8% |
15.4%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8% |
5.3%±2 ME: 5.8% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $69,390±$12kLowest 7% below ME |
$70,238±$19k 6% below ME |
$70,722±$5k 5% below ME |
$77,375±$18kHighest 4% above ME |
| Ellsworth and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $310,900±$30k 5% above ME |
$168,600±$27kLowest 43% below ME |
$363,200±$18kHighest 22% above ME |
$242,300±$22k 18% below ME |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,044±$116 8% below ME |
$759±$141Lowest 33% below ME |
$1,465±$100Highest 29% above ME |
$1,017±$195 11% below ME |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847 27% above ME |
$2,245Lowest 26% below ME |
$4,477Highest 47% above ME |
$3,262 7% above ME |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.3%±15.2 ME: 48.4% |
27.2%±28.8Lowest ME: 48.4% |
58.8%±9.2 ME: 48.4% |
62.1%±15.7Highest ME: 48.4% |
| Ellsworth and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 12.4%Highest ME: 10.7% |
9.8% ME: 10.7% |
8.6%Lowest ME: 10.7% |
9.3% ME: 10.7% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.3%Lowest ME: 74.3% |
82.7%Highest ME: 74.3% |
66.3% ME: 74.3% |
66.7% ME: 74.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 39 yrs older than ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
1977 same as ME |
1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min about the ME average |
21 minLowest 13% below ME |
23 min 7% below ME |
25 minHighest about the ME average |
| Work from home | 19.3%±6Highest ME: 15.9% |
4.8%±5.9Lowest ME: 15.9% |
18%±4.2 ME: 15.9% |
7.1%±2.8 ME: 15.9% |
| Bath and Brunswick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #31 of 133 in ME | #86 of 133 in ME | #30 of 133 in ME | #63 of 133 in ME |
| School district | RSU 01 - LKRSU | RSU 73 | — | Ellsworth Public Schools |
| High school in town | Morse High School | Spruce Mountain High School | — | Ellsworth High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.8Highest |
12.7Lowest |
— | 12.7Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet | 5 photos → |
ME average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.